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jsstewar
09-23-2010, 13:46
In long distance hikes does it make sense to use a steripen for purifying water? or do most people prefer a trusty filter? things I'm wondering about are convenience, weight, function/safety and any other points anyone as to offer.

Trailbender
09-23-2010, 13:48
Neither, I carried a 1 oz dropper bottle of bleach. It was simple and effective. It is cheap and light. I used it my entire thru with no problems. I never got sick or anything else.

Spokes
09-23-2010, 13:54
Most thru's use AquaMira or bleach.

sixhusbands
09-23-2010, 14:24
I have both and both will do the job. The steripen is not a good choice for unsettled water as it will not filter any debris. But it is lighter ,more compact and easier to use than the filter.
Make sure if you are using the Steripen that your container has a wide opening. the pen needs to be in the water deep enough to activate.

10-K
09-23-2010, 14:33
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/search.php?searchid=8686570 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/search.php?searchid=8686570http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/search.php?searchid=8686570)

Hoop Time
09-23-2010, 14:52
The steripen works well with gatorade bottles. I really like the convenience of steripen and the fact that there is no altered taste and the water is drinkable in a few minutes. As for unsettled water and debris, I just carry a piece of pantyhose which I put over the bottle opening to remove debris.

That said, my experience is only on shorter two or three day hikes, not on a through hike.

Lillianp
09-23-2010, 15:38
I used a steripen for the first 270 miles of my thru this year. Love it, but I got a little antsy about the water getting on the threads (worried I'd eventually get sick!) and the debris. I just didn't like drinking the debris. I switched to a filter, but looking back, I should've switched to aqua mira. The steripen was incredibly reliable, though.

Spokes
09-23-2010, 15:54
I used a steripen for the first 270 miles of my thru this year. Love it, but I got a little antsy about the water getting on the threads (worried I'd eventually get sick!) and the debris. I just didn't like drinking the debris. I switched to a filter, but looking back, I should've switched to aqua mira. The steripen was incredibly reliable, though.

Good for you.

I used AquaMira the entire way and never had a problem with floaties. No bandanna, coffee filter, etc. needed. Guess it's all in how you scoop your water from the supply point.

Rain Man
09-23-2010, 16:37
Someone beat you to this topic by a week or two. You might want to read this other thread:
"Trying to decide between Steripen and pump" (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=65193)

As in most backpacking things, there are pros and cons and no simple answer and everyone does not choose the same answer. So, hike your own hike.

Rain:sunMan

.

sheepdog
09-23-2010, 20:23
The steripen works well with gatorade bottles. I really like the convenience of steripen and the fact that there is no altered taste and the water is drinkable in a few minutes. As for unsettled water and debris, I just carry a piece of pantyhose which I put over the bottle opening to remove debris.

That said, my experience is only on shorter two or three day hikes, not on a through hike.
I do the same thing. But often don't worry about the floaties. Anyone who uses chemical treatment of water has the same problem. Most water on the AT that I have seen did not require treatment. But that's just me.

jnl82381
09-23-2010, 21:30
I used Aquamira. Of my two hiking companions, one used a steripen, the other a filter. When we all got water at the same time, I was always the last to actually get to drink it. This was because of the time you have to wait for the water to be purified. ...That was at the beginning of the hike

By NY, we were all using Aquamira. The Steripen failed too often and the filter clogged. Even with the backwash option, it was a workout to get water. The other two guys saw how easy chemical treatment was and took the oportunity to make a camp chore simpler and lighten their pack weight at the same time.

The only drawback to chemical treatment I found was I rarely got a drink of cold water unless the spring was really cold.

I own a filter and use it for shorter hikes, but for long distance hiking...I'd never leave the Aquamira behind.

In the end, it's truly up to what you are comfortable with, what you're willing to carry for weight, and how willing you are to drink floaties sometimes (doesn't bother most people). But I will make this one last observation. The I don't remember seeing anyone in Maine who had hiked there from Georgia using anything but chemicals for drinking water. At least not in my hiking bubble.

Bear Cables
09-24-2010, 00:37
[QUOTE=Hoop Time;1052811]The steripen works well with gatorade bottles. I really like the convenience of steripen and the fact that there is no altered taste and the water is drinkable in a few minutes. As for unsettled water and debris, I just carry a piece of pantyhose which I put over the bottle opening to remove debris.

That said, my experience is only on shorter two or three day hikes, not on a through hike.[/QUOTE

In using your steripen with a gatorade bottle, how do you get it down the mouth of the bottle to reach the sensors. I like to use gatorade bottles but can't get the steripen down to the water so I bring one gatorade and one widemouth nalgene. What's your trick?

IronGutsTommy
09-24-2010, 00:50
shouldnt have floaties is the waters moving at a pretty good clip. I use aquamira for the reasons stated bythe animal. its simply the most reliable option. steripens arent too heavy, so u could always carry that for a quick drink of cold water, aquamira for bladders, cooking, and such

Long feet
09-24-2010, 02:30
I haven't heard the other good reason to use a Steripen; depending on your frequency of water sources, you have to carry a lot less water. When using Aqua Mira (AM) you either have to wait for your water, or carry it until it's done. So when using AM I tend to purify larger batches of water less frequently, thereby carrying a lot more. At 2.2 pounds per liter, my 32 oz. Nalgene Cantene filled with water is heavier than any single piece of gear in my closet.

That is why I use a SteriPen. I can fill it up, camel up, and carry just what I'm going to use until the next water source.

Omega Man
09-24-2010, 02:34
I would think that Aqua Mira would ruin the taste of Ramen, but I've never used it, so I can't say for certain. What about morning coffee and oatmeal? Don't you taste the chemical? How healthy is it to ingest iodine or bleach or whatever chemical Aqua Mira is for six months?

leaftye
09-24-2010, 05:13
No thanks to the Steripen. Batteries are too much of an issue.

I've had good luck with my filter + bleach so far, so I'll stick with that.


At 2.2 pounds per liter, my 32 oz. Nalgene Cantene filled with water is heavier than any single piece of gear in my closet.

Why do you keep a canteen filled with water in your closet?

Trailbender
09-24-2010, 07:37
I would think that Aqua Mira would ruin the taste of Ramen, but I've never used it, so I can't say for certain. What about morning coffee and oatmeal? Don't you taste the chemical? How healthy is it to ingest iodine or bleach or whatever chemical Aqua Mira is for six months?

Just as healthy as drinking public water. I like simple stuff, especially in the woods. I don't need complicated equipment that is going to break on me.

sherrill
09-24-2010, 08:25
Bleach drops for me. Unless I can see the water coming out of the ground from a spring, then I don't do anything but use my bandana to filter. I've been hiking for 40 years and so far, so good. Common sense goes a long way.

I've tasted city water that had so much chlorine in it I literally puked.

4eyedbuzzard
09-24-2010, 10:07
. . . steripens arent too heavy, so u could always carry that for a quick drink of cold water, aquamira for bladders, cooking, and such


I would think that Aqua Mira would ruin the taste of Ramen, but I've never used it, so I can't say for certain. What about morning coffee and oatmeal? . . .

Why would you treat water you're going to cook with (boil) ?

Moose2001
09-24-2010, 10:26
How healthy is it to ingest iodine or bleach or whatever chemical Aqua Mira is for six months?

If you drink city water, you're ingesting the chemcial used in Aqua Mira (chlorine dioxide) every day. It's the same thing.

What to use for water purification is a personal decision. There's also a lot of misinformation around. Here's link to a great CDC website that talks about the pros and cons of each method.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html

Rain Man
09-24-2010, 10:39
Why would you treat water you're going to cook with (boil) ?


DUH... because I get all my water in a single container (maybe two) and drink some, cook with some, brush my teeth with some, etc. Why haul around multiple single-function containers? That's more weight.

Rain Man

.

4eyedbuzzard
09-24-2010, 10:59
DUH... because I get all my water in a single container (maybe two) and drink some, cook with some, brush my teeth with some, etc. Why haul around multiple single-function containers? That's more weight.

Rain Man

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Re: DUH
Okay. Gee. Sorry.

I'm almost always near a water source when camped / cooking and use Gatorade bottles and steripen, so I didn't think of the bladder situation.

Morning Glory
09-24-2010, 16:16
DUH... because I get all my water in a single container (maybe two) and drink some, cook with some, brush my teeth with some, etc. Why haul around multiple single-function containers? That's more weight.

Rain Man

.

I carry a 6 liter Platypus. It rolls up real nice and small and weighs next to nothing. When I get to camp, I fill it up with water. Then I let it sit for a few minutes to settle, depending on how clean the water is. I then filter straight out of the platypus all of my drinking water and use whatever is left for cooking and cleaning up. This method to filter is much more comfortable as opposed to crouching down next to a spring and it also saves on the life of my filter.

Spokes
09-24-2010, 18:26
I carry this good looking water purse when I'm in camp. Once a thru hiker chick actually tried to bedazzle it.


http://www.cascadedesigns.com/images/product/medium/Platy_Water_Tank.jpg

sheepdog
09-24-2010, 18:39
Why would you treat water you're going to cook with (boil) ?


DUH... because I get all my water in a single container (maybe two) and drink some, cook with some, brush my teeth with some, etc. Why haul around multiple single-function containers? That's more weight.

Rain Man

.
I have a collapsable water bucket.It holds about 6 quarts. I never purify water that goes into the cook pot. It also saves a lot of trips to the spring.

Different Socks
09-26-2010, 10:52
I use a PUR Hiker. Have used it on all of my hikes from the AT to the PCT to the CDT. I'd like to see any of those hikers in this post use AM or the Steripen on water gotten from a cattle tank which often has floaties, debris, dead bugs, etc in it. By the time they have poured it thru a bandanna or other some such prefilter and then treated their water, I'm drinking mine. Just pump and drink--no waiting!! I have never had any serious problems with my filter. Unless the source is a piped spring or similar, I will filter it. Rather be careful than sick.

jsstewar
09-26-2010, 12:01
so how many drops of bleach do people use to sterilize a 32 oz. nalgene?

Hoop Time
09-26-2010, 19:52
The steripen works well with gatorade bottles. I really like the convenience of steripen and the fact that there is no altered taste and the water is drinkable in a few minutes. As for unsettled water and debris, I just carry a piece of pantyhose which I put over the bottle opening to remove debris.

That said, my experience is only on shorter two or three day hikes, not on a through hike.

In using your steripen with a gatorade bottle, how do you get it down the mouth of the bottle to reach the sensors. I like to use gatorade bottles but can't get the steripen down to the water so I bring one gatorade and one widemouth nalgene. What's your trick?


I don't know what to tell you. It fits pretty close to perfectly with the bottles I use. In fact, I can turn the bottle upside down and the steripen almost seals it. I get a few drops trickling out when I do that, but no significant leakage.

Chop
09-27-2010, 11:18
I don't know what to tell you. It fits pretty close to perfectly with the bottles I use. In fact, I can turn the bottle upside down and the steripen almost seals it. I get a few drops trickling out when I do that, but no significant leakage.

Ditto, the steripen will slip down far enough in the gatorade bottle to kick on and do its job.